
amJEStSSSS 

Book 





COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




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WILLIAM REID 



THE 

TWILIGHT PRAYER 

AND OTHER 

RAYS OF SUNSHINE 

By 
WILLIAM REID 




Tear 



THE C. M. CLARK PUBLISHING CO. 
BOSTON. MASSACHUSETTS 






Copyright, 1911 

The C. M. Clark Publishing Co. 

Boston, Massachusetts 



£CI.A3121(H 



This little volume 

is lovingly dedicated to the 

memory of my grandfather 

William Reid 



Contents 

The Twilight Prayer 1 

Night 2 

Death 3 

The Light of Faith 5 

Reason . 7 

The Two Oceans 8 

Freedom 9 

Charity 11 

Progress 12 

The Indian 14 

Humanity in Nature 16 

The Stars 18 

The Evil and the Good of Money... 19 

The Song of Love 21 

Ever Watching 23 

Civilization 24 

The Guiding Light 26 

The Old Oak Tree 28 

The Spirit of Night 30 

The Wheel of Time 32 

The Old Homestead 34 

Poetry in its Relation to the World 36 

Content to Linger 39 

Consolation 41 



Contents 

The Stage 42 

True Love 44 

Religion in our Daily Lives 45 

To Stanley 49 

The Perfect Working Day 51 

The River 53 

The Earl and the Farmer 55 

To Mother . .. 57 

Self Intelligence vs. Simple Trust. . . 58 



THE TWILIGHT PRAYER 




THE TWILIGHT PRAYER 

In the twilight's dusky presence, 

When the night is drawing nigh, 
And the birds are flitting homeward 

'Neath the golden-tinted sky, 
When the day is slowly waning 

To the march of ancient Time, 
And the wind is softly sighing 

To the brooklet's happy rhyme — 
Comes a thought of grateful blessing 

From the weary hearts of toil, 
To the Giver of these riches 

From the fruits of Heaven 's soil 

When our hearts are rendered lighter 

With the peace of doing right, 
And the shadows of the gloaming 

Cast their darkness o'er our sight, 
When the veil of night descendeth 

O'er the landscape far and near — 
With here and there a gleaming 

From an early star of cheer — 
Thrills a note throughout our being 

Lighting up the golden stair, 
And we climb a little higher 

As we kneel in silent prayer. 
1 



The Twilight Prayer 
NIGHT 

Under the starry gleam of night 
The waving branches sigh; 

And lend their shadows to the scene, 
While owlets hoot and cry. 

The winding streams flow gently by; 

The moon smiles o'er the crest, 
And sheds a soft illuming light 

O'er nature's needful rest. 

The nightingale soars overhead, 
And trills unto the skies; 

The weary day-birds nestle close, 
Un waked by night's weird cries. 

The sleeping world is mantled o 'er, 
And guarded by the Lord; 

His leading hand is still outstretched 
To guide us o'er the ford. 



The Twilight Prayer 

DEATH 

Though in the paths of death I tread, 
With gloomy horrors 'round me spread, 
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill, 
For thou, O Lord, art with me still; 
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid 
And guide me through the dreadful 
shade. 

Though in a bare and rugged way 
And devious lonely wilds I stray, 
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile; 
The barren wilderness shall smile 
With sudden greens and herbage crowned* 
And streams shall murmur all around. 

For death is but a peaceful sleep, 
The passage to immortal keep; 
And if the onward course is trod, 
That leads straight to the realm of God, 
Our earthly lives will bring us bliss 
When death bestows the sealing kiss. 



The Twilight Prayer 
PEACE 

Softly the breezes are blowing 

Up on the mountain side; 
Clear as the breathings of Heaven, 

Wafting its blessings to guide. 

Slowly the sunlight is waning, 

Lingering wistfully on, 
Spreading its gold-tinted gleamings, 

Seemingly loth to be gone. 

Brightly the hearthstones are shining, 
Lighting each darkened abode; 

Quickly the moments are gliding 
Over the time-worn road. 

And the Angel of Peace travels onward 
His mission of trust to fulfil; 

All nature is gratefully glowing 
With purpose of heavenly will. 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE LIGHT OF FAITH 

Through life's gloomy deserts 

When passions lie low, 
And sorrow is rampant 

And viewed as a foe, 
Just think of His image 

When nailed to the cross, 
And how He had suffered 

To make i p our loss. 

He lay in a manger 

One soul-stirring day, 
All wrapped up in swaddlings, 

Surrounded by hay; 
When lo! from the Heavens 

There shone forth a light, 
A promising beacon 

Revealing the right. 

It traveled the ages 

Through mocking and doubt; 
And ever grows brighter, 

The way to point out. 



The Twilight Prayer 

Just follow its leading, 
And spread the glad light; 

Have faith in the morrow, 
The future is bright. 






The Twilight Prayer 
REASON 

When the soul has lost its comfort 

In the drift of mortal life; 
When its form of use has foundered 

In the tidal wave of strife; 
Still there shines the light of Reason 

Through the desolated spot; 
Like a guiding star of promise 

Pointing to a better lot. 






The Twilight Prayer 
THE TWO OCEANS 

The air is soft, and mild, and cool, 

And breathes a welcome rest; 
A ship is sailing peacefully 

On the ocean's passive breast; 
The sky above is bright and blue, 

Fleeced o'er with snow-white clouds; 
An ocean of pure light and air 

That floats o'er the vessel's shrouds. 

'Tis a wondrous thing to contemplate 

And harder yet to bind — 
An ocean wild with an ocean calm 

In the compass of one mind; 
A sky of blue and a sky of black, 

Like thoughts both light and dark, 
Receive their impulse from the soul — 

The one illuming spark. 



8 



The Twilight Prayer 

FREEDOM 

All nature breathes the freedom of the 
soul; 
The lofty mountain heights its bless- 
ings tell; 
The surging tides of waters vast and 
deep, 
And forests where the woodman's 
axe ne'er fell, 
The smallest grass-blades of the barren 
heath, 
The grains of sand along each wave- 
swept shore, 
The raging winds and passions of the 
deep, 
Breathe freedom from the depths of 
nature's core. 

All nature speaks the truth of free- 
dom 's right; 
Her walls of time no tyranny dis- 
close; 
From early spring to winter's passing 
chill 
The voice of nature cants no solemn 
woes; 

9 



The Tvrilight Prayer 

Humanity is written on her breast — 
A lesson ever on the wings of time 

To still the mortal anguishes of man 
And thrill his soul with freedom's 
happy rhyme. 



10 



The Twilight Prayer 

CHARITY 

Around an oak's majestic girth, 
Fast rising from the mother earth, 
A creeping vine its fibers wind 
In shelter of a stronger mind. 
The oak looks down with tender care, 
And shields it from life's grinding wear: 
His strength of limb no tremor knows; 
He takes the world 's unstinted blows — 
'Tis but an echo of life's woes. 

"No harm shall come to thee," he says, 
"And naught but love shall guide thy 

ways; 
Through me a refuge you shall find; 
The Lord of all is just and kind. " 
And so the fortunes of the world 
Are banners from on high unfurled, 
To guide the footsteps of life's poor, 
And keep in view the sacred cure — 
'Tis Good and Truth that will endure. 



11 



The Twilight Prayer 
PROGRESS 

When man has lost his freedom 

In the quest for hidden gold; 
When the wily arts of Satan 

Have secured their lustful hold; 
Where is liberty and justness 

In the slavery of time? 
Does foul greed usurp his manhood, 

Drifting far from truth sublime? 

In the child-minds of his offspring 

He instils no seed of truth; 
But the craftiness of commerce 

Mars the beauty of their youth: 
Does he think this awful grinding 

Paves the way to Christian light, 
When he breaks the laws of union 

That are made in Christian right? 

Is there time for honest progress 

In this falsity and strife, 
When progression 's ways are tainted 

With the trading lusts of life? 



12 



The Twilight Prayer 

"Nay!" the soul of love respondeth, 
" 'Tis by charity we're bound 

In the union-love of brother, 

Meek and lowly as the ground. " 



IS 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE INDIAN 

His life was free and of the plain, 

His art was of the bow; 
The woodcraft of grand nature's crest 

Was freedom from the foe; 
The wigwam was his simple home. 

The stream his only drink; 
He wandered o 'er the trackless wood 

Right to the ocean's brink. 

The savage beast he hunted far, 

And built his bark canoe, 
With which to skim the inland lakes 

And shoot the rapids, too. 
He viewed the country far and near — 

" 'Tis mine, " he thought, and smiled. 
The beauty of the boundless sky 

His simple mind beguiled. 



But lo! a change has come to pass; 

His race has dwindled low; 
The rifle and the cannon 's power 

Displaced the simple bow; 



14 



The Twilight Prayer 

A nation stands before the world — 

A nation strong and great; 
The White man rules his erstwhile 

home — 
The Red man bows to fate. 

What power has wrought this wondrous 
change, 

This miracle of fate? 
A law that man can fathom not; 

Nor can one tithe abate. 
Its truth and light adorn the world 

And guide its winding way; 
The Lord of love is at the wheel 

And steers to endless day. 



15 



The Tvrilight Prayer 
HUMANITY IN NATURE 

As we journey through time 'mid 
its ever changing vistas of thought, 
the lesson of Humanity in nature be- 
comes more apparent to the enlightened 
mind; and the peace of knowledge and 
power derived from our strengthened 
faith in human progress bestows a 
never failing source of happiness and 
trust that ever tends to increase our 
sympathy with the beauties of nature. 

The Indian in his wild roaming and 
early habits had ever a vision of nature- 
light, that found utterance in his figura- 
tive language — a language of simple 
poesy. The sighing winds were to him 
as the presence of spirits dwelling in 
sorrow — the raging tempests like the 
angry passions of spirits dwelling in 
hate. Now, this creed was natural to 
the simple minds of early life; and the 
Indian's faith in one Divine Being, 
although crude and erroneous as to His 
divine dispensations, was yet a strong 
redeeming feature in his race. 



16 



The Twilight Prayer 

They who acknowledge and believe in 
©ne God are on the road to a common 
center of truth which knows no divided 
and opinionated minds. 

The minds of men are likened unto 
the objects and ways of nature. Those 
minds that are just and upright resem- 
ble in their integrity the sturdy oak or 
aome other stronghold of nature; while 
others that are weak and villainous 
resemble objects of ugliness and hatred; 
not in outward appearance, perhaps, 
but as to their inmost thought. Thus 
the passions of humanity are pictured 
in nature. The animal, bird, plant and 
mineral life, proper to the land, and 
the fish life of the waters, together 
with all their attendant passions and 
changes, are symbolical of the mind of 
man with all its wealth of thought. 

The symbolic language of poesy is 
pregnant with the humanity of nature 
and that bond of human sympathy 
which binds all races in the love of God. 



17 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE STARS 

Far thy lights are shining through the 
night, 

Gleaming with a luster pure and white; 

Myriad stars of love-lit sympathy, 

Glowing with thy heart-truth — spirit- 
free. 

Shine forever, satellites of grace! 
Travel with the pride of nature 's pace. 
Onward, ever onward, worlds of light, 
Through the endless blessing of thy 
right! 



18 



The Twilight Prayer 

THE EVIL AND THE GOOD 
OF MONEY 

The goal that thousands are striving 
for in the present age is for the power 
that money gives — conscience is smoth- 
ered in the sordid lust for gain, and as 
a result we have the bane of greed 
among us — the poorhouse. 

Where capital has antagonized labor 
to the point of desperation, unions 
of the workingmen have sprung up to 
combat the moneyed few who thus 
hold them in the bonds of commercial 
slavery by the forming of trusts that 
buy up or drive out of business all 
those who would make an honest living 
according to their means and education. 
It is thus that the children of the poor 
are compelled to seek the freedom of 
the streets, where they imbibe at an 
early age the habits and teachings of 
crime, because the struggle for a bare 
living has become so all-engrossing as 
to shut out the charity of the home 
where there can be no home — nothing 



19 



The Twilight Prayer 

but the prison-like walls and atmos- 
phere of a miserable tenement of the 
slums. 

Have not these children the same 
right for the education and cleanliness 
and comfort that environs the homes 
of the rich? 

There are hundreds of rich men who 
have attained their riches and social 
position by honest endeavor, and who 
as employers of labor are a blessing to 
humanity. These men are true Chris- 
tians, and all their thoughts and deeds 
are dominated by love for a perfect 
home-life, where principles of charity 
and faith will form the foundation 
stones of many an earnest Christian 
life. Such men bring into their daily 
lives the teachings and examples of a 
true religion — love to God and the 
neighbor; and it is such men that 
should govern the nation. Religion is 
the life of political economy, and as 
such it will ultimately bind all nations 
in a universal love of peace and pro- 
gress. 



SO 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE SONG OF LOVE 

The growing light of early day 
Spreads o'er the morning sky; 

And rested nature fondly views 
Its gentle rays draw nigh. 

And as it mounts through endless space 
With loving purpose filled; 

It st'r the world to busy life, 
:h ardent hope instilled. 



And next the glaring sun reveals 

The noon-tide of its power; 
And nature rises 'neath its strength 

To meet the shining hour. 
Its tide of daily use now turns 

To seek a needed rest; 
And nature with its blessing filled 

Leans slowly to the west. 



And then the shade of night descends 
And wraps the world in sleep; 

The Lord provides for all our wants, 
We rest in Heaven 's keep. 



81 



The Twilight Prayer 

From early morn till darkest night 

The song of love is sung; 
And, though the earth-life slowly fades, 

The soul is always young. 



22 



The Twilight Prayer 
EVER WATCHING 

Thine eye is watching, ever watching 
O'er the troubled forms of life; 

And its gentle rays are healing 
Wounds of sorrow and of strife. 

In our sleep and in our waking, 
Throughout life 's e 'er changing ways, 

Shine the wonders of its glory 

Through the darkness of the days. 

And its love is ever raising 

Minds to visions of Thy might; 

Through the humbleness of craving 
For the way to know the right. 

In the soul-light of its blessing 

Is the cure for all our ills; 
And the thorny ways of sorrow 

Are smoothed o'er by loyal wills 



23 



The Twilight Prayer 
CIVILIZATION 

How vast has been the growth and 
advancement of civilization from the 
time of the dark ages! How great the 
expansion and changes in the world's 
knowledge of the sciences, religion, and 
all that goes to make earthly life a 
paradise for the leading minds of the 
present age ! The mind that can under- 
stand and utilize the arts and uses of 
nature-life for the sake of humanity 
and progress, and, through striving for 
the betterment of mankind, finds inter- 
nal peace and amity and greater power 
for Christian endeavor, constitutes the 
true Christian. 

Civilization is not the result of any 
creed or amalgamation of creeds, or 
the result of bare material knowledge 
and science, but true civilization finds 
its abode and impetus in the heart and 
soul of human life, responding to de- 
grees of heavenly love and truth, 
through a spirit of desire. 

Civilization in its true sense is regen- 
eration in its purest state, free from 
24 



The Twilight Prayer 

strife and evil, and all forms and 
agencies of self-love- True civiliza- 
tion embraces and embodies all that 
is good and merciful and just in the 
individual and race life of humanity. 

(Civilization as we know it is repre- 
sentative of the collective value of 
national life as far as worldly history 
is concerned with religion, political 
economy, the arts and sciences, and 
commerce; but civilization in its es- 
sence and entirety is symbolical of the 
spiritual life in man in the degree that 
he works and strives for the establish- 
ment of a universal brotherhood of man. 
This is what constitutes true civiliza- 
tion. 



25 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE GUIDING LIGHT 

A yearning of the heart's warm tide 

In silent quest for light, 
A passing thought of future joy, 

A gleam from pastures bright 
Will steer the craft of human hope 

Through waters dark and cold, 
To goals beyond of light and heat, 

And secrets still untold. 

From whence doth come this guiding 
light 

Shed from the heart's pure thought; 
That moves the human power of brain 

To solve that which is sought; 
And spreads the golden truths of life 

From love's abundant store; 
To send their missions through the 
world 

In loving quest for more? 

This guiding light is very Life — 

The Soul of earthly use; 
And leads our erring minds to see 

The wrong of love's abuse; 



26 



The Twilight Prayer 

'Tis love's true thought that seeks to 
know 

The ways of Heaven 's will, 
And into minds of earthly mould 

The seeds of truth instill. 



27 



The Turilight Prayer 
THE OLD OAK TREE 

Gnarled and proud the old oak stands 

Before the cottage door; 
And all the trees in all the lands 

I do not value more. 
The old oak tree has sheltered me 

From early childhood days; 
And now I '11 rest where it has blest 

A lifetime's changing ways. 

The happy birds their love-notes sing 

And swiftly gather 'round; 
The sturdy oak its shadows fling 

Along the well-trod ground. 
The home so dear is full of cheer 

Beneath the oak tree's shade; 
Its joyous love from spheres above 

Will never, never fade ! 

I love to hear the night-winds surge 

Around its sturdy form; 
I love the gentle soul of rest 

That follows earthly storm. 



*8 



The Twilight Prayer 

I love the Hand that made the land 

For man to till and sow; 
I love the sphere and purpose clear 

That caused the oak to grow. 



SO 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE SPIRIT OF NIGHT 

I sit and watch the glowing moon 

Mount slowly in the sky; 
It sails along with the gleaming stars; 

And the dark clouds flitting by 
Are framed with the moonbeams ' sil- 
very light 

Which slowly wanes and dies; 
And the moments fly as I gaze above 

At the beautiful midnight skies. 

So clear and bright the heavens shine 

Above the cold, dark earth; 
And the soul of night goes softly by 

As it nears the morning's birth. 
A kindred note of joyous love 

Keeps pace within my heart; 
And far across the glittering sky 

The rays of moonlight dart. 

O soul of night, what comfort gleams 

Among thy realms so fair! 
Thy life unfolds its purpose true, 

Its rays of hope I share. 



30 



The Twilight Prayer 

Sail on, bright moon, among the clouds 

That melt before thy gaze; 
The air tonight is cool and clear — 

There is no dreary phase. 

I sit and watch the gliding stars 

That mark the paths of night; 
And know that God with love controls 

All nature 's endless flight. 
The Power that made the universe 

For mankind 's earnest thought 
Will point the way through darkest 
night 

When Heaven's truths are sought. 



31 






The Twilight Prayer 
THE WHEEL OF TIME 

Once more a year has glided by 

To swell the varied past; 
The old is now but memory 

And joins the life there massed — 
A fertile field of conscious truth 

That floods the span of life; 
And grows beyond proud nature's light 

To spheres of higher strife* 

No weary doubt can dim the eyes 

That look to pastures new, 
With budding hope and conscious 
strength 

And duty's course so true. 
A new year's welcome bringeth joy 

To all who fully trust 
In Providence and human use 

For ways that guide the just. 

The lesson taught in nature's law 
Of time's romantic sphere, 

Is but an echo of the life 
That dwells where right is clear. 



S2 



The Twilight Prayer 

Each year that turns the wheel of time 

Is corresponding light, 
That guides progression's steady rise 

Along the path of right. 



83 



The Twilight Prayer 

THE OLD HOMESTEAD 

Far across the waters dark and cold, 
In that land of childhood 's happy times, 
Where the homestead now so grim and 

old 
Welcomes not the sons of many climes; 
'Neath the shelter of the aged trees, 
Lonely do the gray walls proudly stand; 
And the doors creak loudly in the 

breeze, 
Long untouched by any human hand. 

Dear old homestead, how I love thee 

still, 
Even in thy wreck of time and storm; 
And from yonder woody-crested hill, 
How I loved to watch thy noble form! 
All is now a vision of the past; 
Sorrowing, I dwell on memories dear; 
But the saddened parting will not last — 
Time will join the hearts of ancient 

cheer. 

How the stars did twinkle in the night, 
And the genial moon glowed with their 
love; 

34 



The Twilight Prayer 

Shining forth to gladden nature's 
fci #ight, 

Under heavenly guidance from above. 
How the ivy clung to those old walls, 
Lovingly it twined along each stone, 
Harking to the sounds within the halls 
That no more will echo youth's gay 
tone. 



35 



The Twilight Prayer 

POETRY IN ITS RELATION 
TO THE WORLD 

Interest in poetry at the present 
time seems to have declined. The 
constant grind after money and the 
incessant work, work, work to obtain it 
is occupying the minds of all classes. 
But in reality it has not declined; it is 
only an unrecognition of its sphere — 
its presence, for while there is life there 
will be poetry — for poetry is an expres- 
sion of love and love is life. Every 
person who loves music has a poetical 
nature according to the degree in which 
it is loved — for poetry is the ultimate 
of music, and in fact is music. The 
two are one and inseparable. Poetry 
embodies all the emotions of the heart 
— love, sorrow, anger, joy. 

The rhythm or music which consti- 
tutes poetry and finds expression in 
words is governed by order, and all 
true happiness is ascribed in this world 
and elsewhere as the outflowing of that 
which is Divine — therefore it is from 
Divine Order, or the Lord. The waves 
36 



The Twilight Prayer 

and tremulations contained in poetry 
are like the breathings of Heaven, that 
in their ultimate production constitute 
poetry — rendering it like the voice of 
heavenly emotions. When men have 
become sensible to certain truths that 
in time must and will make themselves 
known through their instrumentality 
to use, then will poetry be appreciated 
and recognized in its true worth — a 
worth derived from its great education- 
al force and striving for the advance- 
ment of mankind. When the power of 
money has dwindled through the in- 
creasing intelligence of the masses and 
its evils guarded against — when order 
has regulated the system of living to its 
true apportionment — then will the cur- 
rents of poetry flow in an uninterrupted 
stream to enlighten and bring consola- 
tion and joy to all mankind — for then 
truly the kingdom of the Lord will 
have come upon this benighted earth 
of ours — this vast school of the soul. 

The poet advocates freedom, and 
poetry is an expression of freedom — a 
freedom that carries with it a revelation 
37 



The Twilight Prayer 

of right and light born of love. It is a 
spirituality of thought raised far above 
the turmoil of the world as an example 
of Christian life. 



38 






The Twilight Prayer 

CONTENT TO LINGER 

The years have fled, my darling, 
Since first I brought you here; 
And many joys and sorrows 
Have glided o'er our sphere; 
But in this dear old cottage 
That nestles 'mong the trees, 
We're still content to linger, 
And wander o'er the leas. 



Yes, o'er the leas we'll wander, 
As in the days of yore; 
Just you and I, my darling, 
Where youth had roamed before. 



It is the same old story; 
But love was there and truth; 
And tho' we sometimes faltered 
When shadows tinged our youth* 
We looked to the Creator 
When gloomy were the days, 
And in our time of sorrow, 
We trusted in His ways. 



89 



The Twilight Prayer 

Yes, in His ways we trusted, 
And He was good and kind; 
We sought life's fount of blessing. 
And left the clouds behind. 

We 're old and gray, my darling. 
And have not long to live; 
But Heaven 's light is shining 
For those who freely give. 
And joy will be their portion 
When in the future state. 
So arm in arm, my darling, 
We'll linger here and wait. 



40 



The Twilight Prayer 

CONSOLATION 

When hearts are bowed with sudden 
grief, 
And life seems dark and drear; 
The Voice that called our dear ones 
home 
Will calm the present fear. 

The ways of Love, to finite minds, 
Seem often stern and grim; 

And when the shade of Death descends, 
The light of love seems dim. 

Our earthly lives are sorrow-fraught. 

But there is joy withal; 
The love that draws the scalding tears 

Is not beyond recall. 

The Saviour knows our dailv wants. 
And though the way seems long; 

He'll lead us gently to the light, 
And right each seeming wrong. 



41 



The Tvrilight Prayer 

THE STAGE 

The stage as an educational force, 
and illustrator of poetical, sentimental, 
and emotional life, is prolific of good 
results and enlightened minds, if the 
moral sphere is observed and lived up 
to in the lives and teachings of those 
who portray the dramatic and moral 
element of worldly life. What could 
be more beautiful and soul-inspiring 
than the sight of a noble woman devot- 
ing her time, mentality, and goodness 
to advance and better the moral condi- 
tions of life, as superior intellects and 
genius perceive and understand it — 
striving not merely for fame and noto- 
riety, but actually living and represent- 
ing truths as they see them? But 
witness the performances of those who, 
although possessing genius and artistic 
ability, do not live up to the morals of 
their respective representations; or, 
if the play is bluntly suggestive of im- 
morality, is the stage not then a menace 
and corrupter of common decency, 
doing untold harm and injury to the 
42 



The Twilight Prayer 

growing minds of present and future 
generations? Does not public com- 
ment and every day conversation prove 
this? 

Those who have worked and associ- 
ated with the employes of great indust- 
rial corporations, mercantile establish- 
ments, factories, etc., know from their 
lives, actions, and conversation, how 
injurious and detrimental to progress 
is the portrayal of immoral plays, or 
plays that point a moral which is not 
recognized in the lives and actions of 
the performers. 

There are plays of a lighter variety, 
vaudeville, etc., which, no doubt, serve 
to entertain and amuse the theater- 
going public, with, perhaps, no greater 
end than to take the mind off worldly 
care and responsibilities, and which are 
beneficial in that respect; but plays 
designed and performed with regard to 
spiritual, moral and civil virtue, are 
blessings and representatives of life 
in a higher vein, life as it should be 
portrayed; in short, life that is life! 



43 






The Twilight Prayer 
TRUE LOVE 

The land is bright with sunshine, 
And clouds have rolled away; 

The air breathes peace and gladness 
On a winsome wedding day. 

The bells are ringing clearly, 

And their tones are filled with love, 
Love that glows throughout all nature, 

And its emblem is the dove. 

A maiden, fair and lovely, 
And a youth of manly form, 

Have been joined in happy wedlock; 
All is peace — no sign of storm. 

The years roll ever onward, 
But true love will never fail; 

The earth-change brings no shadow 
Where true love and truth prevail. 

All is joy, and rest, and blessing, 

Where the heart is staunch and true; 

And the home-life shines with gladness 
When the Saviour lights our view. 



44 



The Twilight Prayer 

RELIGION IN OUR DAILY 
LIVES 

What we need in our daily lives is 
more religion; more of the truths of 
religion, free from all falsities of erron- 
eous human reasoning — religion in all 
its simplicity of faith, for the more 
simple a thing is, the more perfect it is, 
and simple religion carries with it uni- 
versal truths that men of all creeds and 
denominations must acknowledge and 
accept. 

Publicists of today are instilling 
gradually more true religious thought 
into their writings as they feel the need 
of the times, and rise to the public 
demand for more enlightenment on 
topics of great moral and political 
significance. 

"The life of religion is to do good," 
and no man in public or private office 
can do good irrespective of religion, as 
religion must be the motive force to 
impel him in the right direction at all 
times and under all conditions. 



45 



The Twilight Prayer 

The more religion a man possesses, 
or what amounts to the same, the more 
truth he possesses, the more does he 
will good to his fellowman, to his 
country, and to the world at large, 
always striving to the best of his 
ability for the betterment of moral and 
civil conditions in the government of 
home and country. 

In order to possess truth and to live 
it, for man does not rightfully possess 
that which he does not live up to, and 
in order to inspire others to adopt the 
universal tenets of true living, man 
must acknowledge but one Divinity, 
the Creator and Preserver of the uni- 
verse. The great fundamental truth 
of all religious life and thought depends 
upon the complete acknowledgement 
that God is the All of all — the Life, the 
Good, the Truth, the Soul of souls. 

Just as the vegetable life of this 
world depends upon the light and heat 
from the natural sun to maintain and 
perpetuate existence, so is the life and 
perpetuity of humanity dependent upon 



46 



The Twilight Prayer 

the inflowing light and heat from the 
sun of the spiritual world, or the Lord, 

The more capacity a man has to 
receive and retain this light and heat, 
or what is the same, the more capacity 
he has to receive and retain good and 
truth from the Lord, for good corre- 
sponds to heat, and truth to light, the 
more is he a man, for his mind is then 
open to heavenly spheres, and expands 
and grows under the impetus of a life 
free from the subtleties and falsities 
attached to the life of the flesh, sensu- 
ous in principle, and gross in intellect, 
for the life of the spirit is unhampered 
by any worldly lusts or falsities, and 
when man throws off the material 
covering or natural body, his spirit is 
then clothed with a substantial body, 
or body corresponding to the life of his 
spirit as it is in reality, free from the 
hypocrisies and deceptions of earth-life. 

The practice of religion in our daily 
lives must not be from habit, or the 
desire to appear just and upright in the 
eyes of the world, it must come straight 



47 



The Twilight Prayer 

from the heart, the only sure prompter 
of mind and inspiration in our dealings 
with the world in all relations of every 
day life. 

The road is often hard to travel, the 
way long and dark, but there is a 
beacon light ahead for all who choose 
to search for it, and he who finds it is 
doubly blessed and strengthened, and 
more able to cope with life's problems 
than the man who is content to grope 
in darkness, unwilling to see ahead 
further than the limited scope of false 
reasoning allows. 

Self-love, or the love of rule, is a hard 
master, and leads, or rather drives, to 
destruction, but the love of a man's 
life when inspired from the Lord, looks 
first, not to the false lure of self-light, 
but to the one sure beacon-light of 
love to God and the neighbor. 



48 



The Tvrilight Prayer 
TO STANLEY 

No more thy youthful voice we hear, 

Its happy notes are stilled; 
Thy innocence was sweet and pure — 

With childhood's blessing filled; 
And earnest was thy early hope, 

In forms of loving trust; 
The beauty of thy sacred sphere 

Is far beyond the dust. 



Thy soul has left its earth abode 

To swell the angel band; 
And though deep sorrow fills our hearts, 

We '11 meet thee in that land 
Where angels teach His shining truths, 

So we may know the right; 
And live forever in His care — 

The strength of Heaven's might. 



The separation will not last 
Beyond His chosen time; 

And when He calls us to behold 
His works of use sublime, 



49 



The Twilight Prayer 

Then, Stanley, we will there unite 
In loving bonds of truth; 

And mingle with the angel hosts 
To live in endless youth. 



50 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE PERFECT WORKING DAY 

Although the labor unions have 
succeeded in obtaining an eight-hour 
working day, and many mercantile 
institutions are now working their 
employes on an eight-hour schedule, it 
is only a matter of time and progress 
before laws are drafted and enforced, 
that will enable the toilers to enjoy 
some of the fruits of their toil in being 
able to earn enough in four hours' 
work daily, to live comfortably and 
sanely, free from the ravages of over- 
wrought nerves and modern speed 
madness. 

Much of man's spare time is con- 
sumed by home duties, and he can 
hardly enter upon them cheerfully, and 
in the proper spirit of satisfaction and 
enjoyment that such duties naturally call 
for, after eight hours or more of weary 
toil under the present system of whip- 
lash driving. The workman of today 
is actually crowding two hours' work 
into one to satisfy the inordinate 
greed of trust-fed employers. 
51 



The Twilight Prayer 

Man must have sufficient time for 
contemplation and improvement; he 
must have more time in which to enjoy 
the comforts and pleasures of home 
and family, and in which to develop 
normally and sanely. 

The regeneration of society may be 
a long way from realization, but the 
time will surely come when rational 
methods and laws will regulate our 
daily lives, through the power of a 
legislation that will consider the ad- 
vancement and well-being of home and 
country in every phase of political 
development. 



52 



! 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE RIVER 

O river, flowing river, on thy journey 

to the sea, 
What impels thee thus to wander in thy 

garb of mystery, 
Through the solemn tread of ages that 

have blessed thy life so free? 

Is there naught of pleasure draws thee 
far beyond thy bidden sphere? 

Art content to always linger where thy 
waters run so clear, 

Deep beneath thy rocky borders in 
thine ancient home of cheer? 

Men have fought for fame and glory 
o 'er thy banks so steep and grand, 

And the craft of many nations have 
been wrecked along thy strand, 

But the grandeur of thy purpose still 
brings men from every land. 

The woodlands stretch far from thy 
borders over vales and mountain- 
sides, 



53 



The Twilight Prayer 

And their passion-voice of freedom 
mingles with thy rising tides, 

Venting joy from spheres of gladness 
where the soul of love abides. 

Through the endless span of ages, God 
protect thee in thy right! 

And preserve thy sacred beauty safe 
and strong in nature's light, 

Where the glory of its blessing will 
reveal the Saviour's might. 

Journey onward! noble river, to the 

ocean's gleaming shore, 
'Tis thy pride of ancient power (echoes 

in the breakers' roar, 
Voicing freedom! Joyous freedom! as 

their mighty passions soar. 



54 



The Twilight Prayer 
THE EARL AND THE FARMER 

Along a narrow country road, 

An earl of haughty mien; 
Advanced with all his pride of wealth 

To greet the Scottish queen. 

Toward him there came a farmer bold, 

With wagon-load of hay; 
There was not room for each to pass 

The other on his way. 

The tyrant earl came to a stop 

Before his glittering train; 
" Get out of here ! You low-born dog ! " 

He cried with great disdain. 

The firm jaw of the farmer set 
With purpose strong and grave; 

He grasped his trusty pitchfork then — 
For he was no man's slave. 

"Proud earl!" quoth he, "if thou ad- 
vance, 
I'll pierce thy tyrant heart! 
I know the right of way is mine — 
Make way there for my cart!" 
55 



The Twilight Prayer 

The anger left the earl's bright eye, 

For he had courage, too; 
"Brave farmer! thou hast won the 
day!" 

He cried, and waved "adieu." 

The moral of this tale is clear — 
True courage knows its kind; 

And found within a humble heart, 
It fears no haughty mind. 



56 



The Twilight Prayer 

TO MOTHER 

Thy gentle love and tender care 
Has shed its magic sphere of light, 
Like gems of life from Heaven 's sun, 
That pierce the darkest walls of night. 

Thy noble soul has forged ahead 
To grasp the love from Heaven's store; 
And when the weary children drooped 
Thy mother-heart their sorrows bore. 

Thy self-denying, patient care, 

Is fired with Heaven's living truth; 

The burning rays of holy light 

That guard the thorny paths of youth. 

No shade of sorrow dims that light — 
It gleams from Heaven's shining dome; 
To guide the mother-hearts of earth 
To where the angels sing of Home. 



57 



The Twilight Prayer 

SELF INTELLIGENCE VS. 
SIMPLE TRUST 

Many learned men of the present 
day are using the most ingenious argu- 
ments in support of pet theories and 
beliefs which they profess to under- 
stand, and which they force on the 
understanding of others by subtle 
reasonings and demonstrations. 

Thousands upon thousands of people 
possess and profess creeds and doc- 
trines with the utmost comfort and 
faith in their stability. The Lord, in 
His Divine Providence, permits such 
beliefs and such blindness of faith, as a 
means of withholding and restraining 
rampant human passions and evils, 
which otherwise would overrun and 
destroy society, because man is regener- 
ated in freedom, and can only attain 
higher planes of development by sane 
and systematic reasoning, which can 
only be acquired through the rightful 
interpretation and enactment of Divine 
law and order. That which is forced 
on the understanding is not professed 
58 



The Twilight Prayer 

by the heart, and that which is acknowl- 
edged in the heart as truth is man's 
own — the result of his reason and 
desire. 

It is not wholly among the illiterate 
that such blindness and falsity exists, 
for thousands of men learned in science 
and art, and possessing knowledge and 
intellect of gigantic scope, often go 
beyond themselves, and by ingenious 
reasoning and conversion of truth im- 
bibe and support false doctrines and 
beliefs to which they blindly adhere. 

Such men may be giants in intellect, 
but they may well take heed to the 
simple faith and charity of simple folk, 
who toil for their livelihood, and read 
their Bible with a trust and comfort 
that comes from the heart, and who 
are far above the unworthy ambitions 
of so-called learned men. 

There can be but one true Christian 
religion, because there is but one Life, 
and religion is the good and truth of 
life. There are many ways of adapt- 
ing religion to life, because life consists 
of infinite varieties, and no two minds 
59 



The Twilight Prayer 

are exactly alike, but vary according 
to the similitudes and dissimilitudes of 
love and its accompanying affections. 
Every man is his life's love, and the 
ruling love of a man's life is the man 
himself— the inner man. 

It 's a question whether the artificial 
life of the present day is a superior or 
more progressive life than that lived by 
many peoples outside the line of civili- 
zation, which to a large extent is a 
civilization of trade and commerce. 

Can we, with our boasted advance 
in knowledges, sciences, arts and crafts; 
commercialism, creeds and beliefs, 
claim superiority over tribes and na- 
tions that still dwell in a primeval state 
free from the insane lusts of greed and 
commerce? 

I doubt if the giant in intellect is 
superior in wisdom to the honest toiler 
or simple tribesman, when he stubborn- 
ly persists in upholding beliefs that 
have originated from falsities of reason 
so ingenious in theory as to shut out 
the light of truth and substitute self- 
light or self-intelligence. 
60 



The Twilight Prayer 

We investigate the intricacies of sci- 
ence and commerce from knowledges, 
but bare knowledge is nothing unless 
illumined from an influx of truth that 
is not merely the asset of learning, but 
the birthright of all, be they learned, 
or simple in life and thought. 

The mind open to receive the influx 
of good and truth from the Lord, im- 
bibes goods and truths of life and doc- 
trine with the heart intelligence which 
comes from faith in Divine Providence 
and not from knowledges obscured in 
self-light. 

The idea existing today with many 
eminent scientists, and from them with 
the general public, that man is descend- 
ed from the monkey, and has progressed 
from a brute state by evolution, proves 
conclusively with what stubbornness 
such men close the reason to the light 
of truth shed from Heaven, and which 
was immediately received into the 
lives and understandings of the first 
men of this earth, who lived in that 
period described as the " Golden Age, " 
and who were so near the angels in 
61 



The Twilight Prayer 

goodness and beauty of life, as to be 
able to receive instruction at first-hand, 
Man degenerated successively through 
the various periods of the world's 
history, until he had sunk so low in the 
sensuous life of self -intelligence and self- 
love he chose to follow, that the Father, 
out of His Divine mercy, assumed 
the Human in order to save mankind 
and rescue humanity from the serpent 
of self-love. 

He chose to be born a Jew, because 
he foresaw the scattering of that race 
over the world and the persistence 
with which they would adhere to the 
letter of the Word as bearing out the 
hopes and promises of their religion, 
utterly unaware that they were thus 
possessing and preserving a treasure of 
life from which the doctrines of Christi- 
anity would spring and progressively 
reveal to the world that the Word 
contained a spiritual sense within the 
sense of the letter — a wealth of infinite 
truth and goodness that could only 
be reached through the agency and 



62 



The Twilight Prayer 

knowledge of the "Science of Corre- 
spondences," that science of sciences 
— the key to the Bible. 

The Bible is written in a language of 
symbols, and as we study those sym- 
bols, their interval or spiritual sense is 
revealed, and more so as the world 
advances. 



MAR 25 1912 



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